Ore-roasting furnace.



No. 701,050. PATENTBD MAY 24, 1904.

v w. H. sMYTH.

ORE ROAS'I'ING FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. 190s. No MODEL.

n: mams PETER: co, vno'muwo.. msnm mr D c Patented May 24, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

WILLIAM H. SMYTH, OF BERKELEY, OALIFORNIA.

ORE-lROASTlNG FURNAC'E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,050, dated May 24, 1904. Original application led March 12, 1901, Serial No. 50,868. Divided and this application filed September 29, 1903. Serial To LZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SMYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Roasting Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to a multiple-hearth ore-roasting furnace.

This application is a division of my application led March 12, 1901, Serial No. 50,868, having particular reference to the form illustrated in Figure 8 thereof.

It has for its object a more efhcient form of furnace than those at present employed. It also has for its object such a construction of furnace as will permit of the rabble supporting and driving mechanism being located wholly without the furnace out of range of the destructive fumes and heat of the furnace.

It has for another object such a construction as will permit of a more economical utilization of the rabbling mechanism and the power necessary to operate them.

Another object is to provide such a construction as Will permit equally free and unrestricted access to the driving mechanism and to the rabblecarriers at all points of their travel without inconvenience from the heat of the furnace.

Still another object is illustrated in the provision whereby the rabble-carrying mechanism may effect thetravel of the rabbles within the furnace by connections throughthe floor of the furnace Without undue loss of heat or intrusion of an access of the cold outside air.

A further object is to provide such a construction as will avoid disarrangement of alinement in the slot or between it and the track caused by unequal lateral expansion of the brickwork or other disturbing iniuence.

I accomplish these objects by means of the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan section of a portion of one (No model.)

end of the furnace. Fig. 2 is a cross-section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a slot-closer.

Referring to the drawings, I preferably construct this furnace with a metallic frame or skeleton upon which the brickwork of the furnace is built Wholly or in part. This metallic framework or skeleton consists, preferably, as shown in the drawings, of a series of frames which transversely surround and tie the furnace structure together, portions of the frame forming legs or supports which raise the furnace proper from the ground, as shown in Fig. 2.

1 1 are vertical standards tied together by transverse beams orties 2 and 3, respectively, above and below the furnace. The frames thus constituted may be longitudinally tied by lengthwise beams or ties 4 or other suitable connections.

The floor or hearth 5 is formed of two longitudinal sections separated from each other by a longitudinal slot 6. The slot 6 is preferably lined on its sides with metallic walls formed of longitudinal strips 7 which may rest upon and be secured to the transverse beams 3 through the intervention of brackets 8 orthe like. hearth are tracks or rails 9, upon which run trucks or carriages 10. The tracks 9 are preferably secured to and rest upon the metallic frame or skeleton. Supported upon each of these carriages is a bar 11, passing through the slot to the interior of the furnace. To this bar 11 are connected arms 11, having rakes or rabbles 12, arranged to stir, move, or agitate the ore upon the hearth. A cable 13 or other suitable funicular connection is provided, to which the rabble-carriages are attached. A pulley or sheave 14 is located at each end bight of the cable. One or both of these pulleys may be connected to suitablepower devices to cause the rope, with its at tached trucks and rabbles, to travel longitudinally of the furnace.

15 represents a fire-box or other suitable heating device whereby the roasting of the Suitably supported below the` ore is effected. To prevent undue escape of the heated gases through the slot, there is provided slot-closing means, consisting of devices which normally close the slot, but which permit the passage of the rabble-carrying bar by moving out of its path and returning to their normal position after the passage of the bar. rlhe devices I have shown for this purpose consist of plates or the like attached at one end to the side of the slot, the unattached end being free to move transversely across the slot. In order to avoid joints and such like complications, I have shown these slot-closers as being flexible plates 16, disposed scalewise, though they may be of any suitable construction.

Any suitable means for closing the furnace exit and entrance may be employed such as are common in this general type of furnace.

Longitudinally adjacent and preferably adjoining and in the'same structure is a similar furnace to the described. This is so arranged that'a parallel stretch vof the cable passes correspondingly beneath its hearth, as illustrated in Figs. l and'Q. f The tracks which serve for the rabble-carriers beneath both members of this multiple-hearth furnace are suitably connected at their ends by curved sections, so that the rabble-carriages may pass beneath one furnace around and under the adjacent one, whereby the rabbles are transferred from one furnace to the other.

By the construction hereinbefore described it Will be seen that the rabble-carrying mechanism is at all times open and accessible to inspection and repair. The arrangement of the two portions ofthe multiple furnace, as shown` bring about very desirable features of economy, in that the travel of the rabbles during the return half of their journey is utilized. The capacity of the furnace is thus practically doubled Without any addition to the moving parts of the construction, at least so far as concerns the rabbling of the ore. The multiple arrangement also permits the discharge of ore from the furnace at practically the same point at which it entered. It also permits in the same structure and with the same rabbling mechanism of different temperatures being maintained in the furnace or other different and independent treatment of ore on the rabbling-floors Without interruption of a continuous process. Also by the arrangement and construction heretofore described,the slot and rails being in the same metallic structure and practically independent of the brickwork, they are maintained in correct relative alinement, thus avoiding a serious practical difficulty and increasing the effective life of the carriage or trucks and therabbling mechanism generally.

I Nhat I claim isl. An ore-roasting furnace of brick or the like having a plurality of slotted hearths placed longitudinally side by side, rabbles adapted to travel above said hearths to stir the ore thereon and-means projecting through the slots to support and effect the travel of the rabbles and means for transferring the rabble-supporting devices from one slot to another and means independent of the brick structure to maintain the alinement of the slots with the rabble-supporting means.

2. An ore-roasting furnace having slotted hearths placed side by side, means operating through said hearths for stirring the ore and means adapted to close the slots.

3. An ore-roasting furnace having slotted hearths placed side by side, means operating through said hearths for stirring the ore and means adapted to close the slots consisting of overlapping plates.

4. An ore-roasting furnace having slotted hearths placed side by side, means operating through said hearths for stirring the ore and means adapted to close the slots consisting of 'flexible overlapping plates.

5. An ore-roasting furnacehaving slotted hearths'placed side by side having rabbles adapted to stir the ore thereon, means .operating through said hearths adapted to support the rabbles and means for transferring the rabble-supporting devices from one slot to another and' means for `closing the slots.

6. An ore-roasting-furnace having slotted hearths placed side by side having rabbles adapted to stir the ore thereon, means operating through said hearths adapted to support the rabbles andmeans for transferring the rabble-supporting devices from one slot to another and means for closing the slots consisting of overlapping plates.

7 An ore-roasting furnace having slotted hearths placed side by side having rabbles adapted to stir the ore thereon, means operating through said hearths adapted to support the rabbles and means for transferring the rabble-supporting devices from one slot to another and means for closing the slot consi-sting of flexible overlapping plates.

8. A plurality of slotted-hearth ore-roasting furnaces of brick or the like placed longitudinally adjacent to each other, rabble-actuating devices projecting through the slots and tracks on which they are supported, means adapted to transfer saiddevices from one slot to another and means independent of the brick structure to maintain the alinement of the slots with the tracks.

9. In a device for roasting ores, a furnace constructed of brick or the like, having slotted hearths longitudinally adjacent, rabbling de- IOO IOS

IIO

IIS

vices adapted to pass into and through said slots, tracks for the rabbling devices and a metallic skeleton or frame suitably arranged to form the support and attachment for the rabble tracks and slots independently of the brick structure whereby the tracks and slots are maintained in alinement.

10. In an ore-roasting furnace, liearths' placed longitudinally Yadjacent and each divided longitudinally into two sections slightly IO separated to form a slot, a metallic frame or skeleton tying the furnace and transverse bearing members ofthe metallic frame adapted to support the hearth-sections.

WILLIAM H. SMYTH. Witnesses:

D. B. RICHARDS, JEssE R. EoFF. 

